1862年同治皇帝给林肯总统的信

20190715补，找到同治给林肯信的图片了，藏于美国档案馆：

有一些破损，但基本完好，字迹没有损失：

  大清國

 大皇帝問

  大亚美利驾合眾國

 大伯理璽天德好本年七月二

     十五日使臣浦玲堪安臣

到京呈递来書披閱之余

備見詞意肫誠惟以永敦

友睦為念朕心實為欣悦

使臣浦玲堪安臣已敕總

理各國事務衙門妥為接

待朕寅承

天命撫馭寰區中外一家罔有歧

      視推誠相與務在含宏嗣

      愿與

  大伯理璽天德益敦和好同享

      昇平諒必深為歡喜也

大清同治元年十二月 初七

皇帝之宝 印章（汉满文）

满文

20190715补完

 

接上篇，同样的资料来源--Foreign Relations of the United States,简称FRUS，美国国务院解密电文。这里引用的是1862-3年间，美国驻中国使节浦安臣发给美国国务卿的电文。里面有同治帝给美国总统的信，浦安臣说信是用中文和满文写的，但是这里只有英文的翻译件，而且有两个版本的英文翻译。有意思的是浦安臣电报里谈到同治原信的两个字。

这篇电报，是浦安臣（Burlingame)发给国务卿苏华德（Seward）的，浦说，恭亲王及其随行人员来拜访浦，并带来一个盒子，里面有一封装饰精致的信，是大清皇帝同治，写给美国总统的，向美国总统致以亲切问候。浦说他让一家公司--Russell & Co.--把这封信带回美国面交，信是用汉文和满文写成。但是里面有两个词，浦安臣特别提出来向苏华德汇报，他当然说的是英语，这两次词是soothe，和bridle。soothe就是安抚，bridle是马的笼头，这里用作动词，信中的话翻译成英语是说：to soothe and bridle the world。浦说：您看到这两词一定会笑。然后浦还在电报上附了该信的两个英文翻译件，一个是由Mr. Schewescwesky翻的，他是代替Dr.Williams作的翻译，另一个版本的英文翻译由英国使团的Mr.Wade作的。浦还说，他的理解，同治皇帝的用意是好的，整个信的调子是友好的。

从附的翻译中，英国翻译还加了自己的注解，这个里面提到这两词，他用了拼音，fu，yu。这就提供了汉语原文的线索，fu，显然是“抚”，所谓soothe；yu，敲进拼音，在出现的字里一个一个看，应该是“御”字最有可能（也有可能是“驭”），查百度，“御”的意思是驾驭马车，是象形字，是一个人握着辔行于道中。所以，同治给美国总统的信中用了“抚御环宇"这样的字眼。刚想起看看当时美国总统是谁，百度下，居然是林肯！（1861-1865）另外，译者注实际上还提到两个汉文，在信的最后部分，说tung hsung，不知是哪两个字，tung应该对应拼音dong或tong，hs是x，hsung对应xiong，dongxiong，或者tongxiong，不知何意，全句是：that we may tung hsung together, or alike enjoy peace increasing，既然用了together，tong可能是“同”字，剩下的是xiong/xun，这时显出文言文太差了，想不出是哪个字，用拼音打，然后一个字一个字找可能的，也不得要领。

但是，还有一些不太明白的地方。浦安臣的电文落款地址日期是北京1863年1月29日，电文中说，恭亲王是中国新年（first day of the Chinese new year）来访的，但是1863年春节应该是2月18日，所以可能有误。查同治，生于1856年，所以1862年还是个孩子，显然，这封信不可能是他自己写的，应该是摄政大臣或者其他什么人写的。

附上相关电文原文，其中有些字母可能在在生成PDF文件时，从纸张扫描，然后用软件进行图像到文字转换时出现错误，比如Ta-tsing-大清-中的s变成了e，Tungchi-同治-的T变成了J。

 

Mr. Burlingame to Mr.Seward

No.33.] Peking, January 29,1863

Sir: I have the honor to inform you that on the first day of the Chinese new year, Prince Kung and suite made a formal call upon me for the purpose of tendering their good wishes. At the same time the Prince brought in a box the highly illuminated letter to the President, which I send you through the house of Russell & Co. The letter is in Chinese and Manchow. There is an assumption in the words “to soothe and bridle the world” which will cause you to smile. My first thought was to object to the language; but when I learned that it was formal, and was, substantially, what had been used before, and that the government really intended to be unusually kind, I thought it would be impolite and ungracious to criticise the form in which that kindness was sought to be expressed.

I send you two translations of the letter, one marked A, by Mr. Schewescwesky, who interprets in the absence of Dr. Williams; the other with note marked B, by Mr. Wade, of the British Legation. From these you will learn its true meaning. 

The fullest equality is conceded to the President and the United States, by the position in which they are placed in the Chinese text, as well as by the language used in the beginning and at the end of the letter.

I feel that I am here to secure essentials, and not to raise questions about unimportant matters.

I do not suppose the President will be troubled to learn that the Emperor of China thinks he has received a commission “to soothe and bridle the world,” but I imagine that he will be pleased to learn that I have established the most friendly relations with the Chinese government.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

Anson Burlingame.

Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c., &c.

 

A.

The Emperor of the Tateing dynasty salutes the President of the United States of America.

On the 25th day of the 7th moon of the present year, (August 19, 1862,) the President’s envoy, Anson Burlingame, presented a letter from the President. On perusing it, we found it to be entirely expressive of sincereity and truth, and a desire for relations of long-continued friendship and peace, at which we were indeed greatly rejoiced; and we have instructed the office managing foreign affairs to show all proper attention to the envoy, Anson Burlingame. 

Having, with reverence, received the commission from Heaven to rule the universe, we regard both the middle empire and the outside countries as constituting one family, without any distinction. 

And acting sincerely in our mutual intercourse, we must endeavor to extend forbearance to each other. And we wish that our friendly relations with the President may henceforth increase in strength, and may we both enjoy the blessings of peace, the attainments of which undoubtedly will be most gratifying. 

The 7th day of the 12th moon in the first year of the reign of Jungchi,(January 22, 1863.)

 

B.

His Majesty the Emperor of Ta-Tsing dynasty salutes his Majesty, the President of the United States of America.

Upon the 25th day of the 7th moon, [the President’s] envoy, Anson Burlingame, having arrived in Peking, presented (or brought up) a letter from (the President,) which, when (we) had read it, (we) found to be written in a spirit of cordial friendliness, (breathing) nothing but a desire for relations of amity that should ever increase in strength. Our heart was much rejoiced, indeed, (by the perusal of the letter,) and we have instructed the office for the superintendence of foreign affairs to show all suitable attention to (or to receive satisfatorily) the envoy, Anson Burlingame.   

In virtue of the commission we have with awe received from Heaven, (God,) to rule (to soothe and bridle) all the world, native and foreigner must be to us as one family, without distinction, and in our relations with man we must be thoroughly sincere in all things.

May our friendly relations with his Majesty the President henceforth increase in strength, and may both of us alike enjoy the blessings of peace. The attainment of such objects, we cannot doubt, would be most gratifying.

[Traslator’s note.]

The words signifying “to soothe and bridle the world,” no doubt, imply that the Emperor, as Tien-Tzie, son of Heaven, is to the sovereigns of the earth a superior much of the sort that the Pope, at various periods, from the days of Hildebrand down, claimed to be. But beyond a remark to the Prince that we foreign nations do not admit that we can be “fu yu,” “soothed and bridled,” by any but our own governors.

I should not, were I responsible for an opinion, recommend that further notice should be taken of the, at first sight per se, objectionable expressions. For the position of the terms United States and President admits the fullest equality between the nation and its ruler and the Chinese empire and its sovereign; and the salutation with which the letter commences is as significant of the equality of the President with the Emperor as words can be; while the close of the letter is scarcely less so, “that we may tung hsung together, or alike enjoy peace increasing,” would certainly not have been written thus had the writer intended to hint that the person addressed was less than his equal.

T.W.

我的博客，并不一定关注重大历史事件，当然也不排除，但感兴趣的主要是能够有人性闪光的细节，所谓人性闪光，并不指高大上，只要不是冰冷的数字，而是有具体的人的活动，语言，乃至表情等等都可以。